No Matter What
by Rayne Arianna Maranochi
Summary: What happened when Sam invited Arya to have a few drinks with her and Lara in Lara's cabin? Maybe this will clear up some things and bring to light when exactly Sam started figuring out the attraction between the two women, who were oblivious to it themselves.


**Disclaimer: I still do not own Tomb Raider of any of it's characters.**

 **A.N. Also this is pertaining to the main storyline when Arya mentions drinking with Lara and Sam in her cabin. This is what happened. I hope you enjoy.**

* * *

I had just finished getting dressed and had stepped out of my room in order to go and help Jonah make dinner for tonight when Sam called out to me and motioned me over to where she and Lara were huddled, just a ways down the hallway. I walked over to them and stopped, crossing my arms and looking at them with a raised eyebrow.

"Hey, Arya what's up?" Sam asked as she looked at me. Lara rolled her eyes at Sam and just smiled at me lightly. I smiled back at her before refocusing my attention on Sam.

"Nothing much. I just finished getting a shower since I'm done in the boiler room for the night, plus Reyes said she didn't need anymore help and gave me the rest of the night off. I was just headed to the kitchen to help Jonah finish preparing dinner. What about you guys?" I asked as I uncrossed my arms, running my left hand through my hair a bit nervously before I brought it down to rest at my side.

"That was nice of Reyes. So, you guys seem to get along well." Lara said, though I imagine she was asking about the last bit. Understandable since she was a different person with a majority of the crew save Roland and I, though both for different reasons.

"Yeah, what's up with that? She's not mean or rough on you at all, it's weird. How'd you get on her good side?" Sam looked at me with intrigue as she waited for my answer. I chuckled at her expression and shook my head lightly. I looked back and forth between Lara and Sam with a twinkle in my eye.

"It was actually pretty easy Sam. I simply wasn't didn't start out on her bad side, and I made sure never to get on it after that. To be honest Reyes is actually pretty nice to talk to, she's not as bad as many make her out to be. She reminds me of my mum to be fair. She's joking with me while making sure I get the work done that needs done, it's nice." I replied honestly. Lara and Sam looked at each other, they hadn't expected that answer. I shrugged and began to head down the hallway the rest of the way to the kitchen. As I walked past them I raised my right hand as I past and waved goodbye. "If that's all I really need to go help Jonah with dinner."

Sam was the first to pipe up before I was out of sight. "Wait!" I turned and looked back at them and raised an eyebrow in response. Sam looked at Lara briefly before she turned back to me. "We're going to be having a few drinks in Lara's cabin and listening to some music later, you know to relax and stuff. You're welcome to join us if you want too." I nodded and looked at Lara, and I gave a small smile before I turned as if I was going to walk away without answering before I replied.

* * *

"I'll be there. I hope you've got rum." I walked into the room and headed over to Jonah while Lara and Sam looked at each other, one with glee and the other with mild nerves.

Once everyone was done eating and all of the dishes had been put in the sink and I helped Jonah do a majority of them, before he told me that he had everything under control and I should just go and relax, I then went and found Lara and Sam loitering around the hallway in the same area they had been in before when Sam asked me to join them for a drink, some music, and I guess a relaxing bonding session. When I got to thinking about it, the thought was kind of nice, besides I could use a good glass of rum and coke if they had any. It might actually be good to take a load off for a short time and just decompress and get to know the two girls who encouraged Roth to let me join the crew.

As I walked up to them, Lara was the one to spot me first and she smiled at me which caused Sam to turn and look to see who Lara was smiling at. "We were beginning to wonder if you were going to show up honestly. Though to be fair I did see you go back to help Jonah with the dishes. That was very kind of you to do so." Lara spoke while Sam rushed over and grabbed my arm dragging me back to Lara, only briefly enough for Sam to grab her and drag us back to Lara's cabin. When Sam released us I shook my head at her exuberance and turned to Lara.

"Well I just figured it was the right thing to do, ya know? I'd have felt kind of bad If I didn't help in some way. Though I most likely would have done all the dishes on my own if Jonah hadn't kicked me out of the kitchen in order to 'go decompress' as he says." I shrugged and turned back towards Sam who had opened the door to Lara's cabin and was waiting for us inside. I turned back to Lara and made a sweeping gesture towards the room so she would go in first. "Ladies first, this is your room after all." I gave her an honest smile as she walked past me and into her room, but not before turning her head to me slightly before going in.

"Yes, it is my room. However, I'm no lady." I blinked and pondered briefly on that statement as she walked into her room, leaving me to follow after in her footsteps.

I shook my head, she was a mystery too me. As I walked into her room I spotted the table that had all sorts of different maps and old books on top of it. The books most likely had different legends about Yamatai and maybe small hints as to where the island was located. I smirked at that, Lara certainly was a book worm, much like myself. It didn't really surprise me that she would be looking up extra stuff just to make sure that she had all of her facts straight. She was a very determined woman, I don't blame her for wanting to make sure she didn't make any mistakes. Sam noticed that I had stopped short just after I entered Lara's room and was looking at the desk.

"Oh don't tell me your another book worm. Gods I'm surrounded by nerds." Sam said exasperatedly, but with a good natured chuckle at the end to let us know she was only kidding. I rolled my eyes and cast a small glare her direction.

"Oh, I am very much a book worm. It just depends on my mood as to what I will read or look into. Also, I'm not a nerd." I replied.

Sam raised her eyebrow at the same time that Lara did and looked at me curiously. "Alright, I'll bite. Then what are you?"

I smirked. "I prefer the term Intellectual Badass." That got a small smile out of Lara and Sam rolled her eyes. I have to admit, making Lara smile was becoming a hobby I greatly enjoyed. It didn't hurt that I had a small crush on the British Archaeologist.

"Alright, I admit...that was a pretty good comeback." Sam replied with a small smirk. She reached over and grabbed a bottle from off of one of Lara's shelves and held it out to me. "Here, you said you prefer rum right?"

I walked over and took the bottle and read the label. "Captain Morgan Original Spiced Rum. Nice, nothing fancy, just my style" I opened the bottle and took a swig, closing my eyes as the familiar taste and slight burn worked its way down my throat and into my recently filled belly. I released a content sigh as I removed the bottle from my lips and allowed my eyes to open. "That still hits the spot."

Lara looked a little flushed and Sam was looking from me to the bottle with a mischievous glint in her eye. "So, should we leave you and the bottle alone, or are you done with the orgasmic sounds?" I flushed a little and then glared at her.

"I did not sound like I had an orgasm, jerk. Besides you wouldn't even know what I sound like if I had anyways. Unless of course you've been peeking on me, perv?" I shot back with a small smug grin on my face as she spluttered at the accusation. Lara seemed to become even more red with Sam's teasing and my very blunt reaction.

"No, I haven't." Sam sighed and got off of the bed and made her way over to Lara's docking station for her Ipod and plugged the device in and searched for a song to kick things off with. "Alright, enough teasing. We came here to have a nice 'get to know you' chat while unwinding and drinking." While Sam was doing this Lara seemed to shake herself out of whatever stupor she was in and walked over to another one of her shelves and moved a few books in order to access another bottle of booze. When I looked at it I realized that it was Vodka. Who know Lara was into that stuff?

Turning back to Sam and I Lara held up the bottle and smiled an easy smile. "So, here's go getting to know one another, yeah?" We all smiled at that.

* * *

"Hell, yeah!" Sam and I echoed.

After a while Lara and Sam got to know about my family, my hobbies, what I was good at, etc. I learned about Lara and her family, her father who was what encouraged her Archaeology addiction, and about how she knew Roth. I learned about Sam and her love of filming. I learned that they had actually met each other in college and were roommates. It was weird at first with Sam being the outgoing party girl while Lara was the book worm who worked as well as made sure to get good grades.

There were some pretty good songs on the Ipod that Sam put on the docking station and I was even willing to dance a bit after I had some Alcohol that is. I'm a very shy person when dancing sober, but I'm more willing when I'm a bit tipsy. I was dancing when No Matter What by Papa Roach started playing. Lara grabbed me and made me start dancing with her while Sam was sitting on the bed and watched us. Lara was a bit tipsy on the cusp of drunk, so I put my hands on her hips to steady her. I rocked back and forth with her and smiled as we both mouthed the words. Although since I wasn't so far gone the words really hit me.

" **I need you, right here  
By my side  
You're everything I'm not, in my life  
We're indestructible, we are untouchable  
Nothing can take us down tonight  
You are so beautiful  
It should be criminal, that you could be mine**

 **And we will make it out alive  
I promise you this love will never die"**

I sang along with Lara although she was getting really close and my eyes briefly flickered down to her lips and back up. I really wanted to kiss her, but I didn't want to do so when we had both been drinking, plus she might not remember. I also didn't want to do something that would make her regret it later so I pulled away and let out a breathless chuckle instead.

"Phew. Well I think that's enough drinking for me right now. Besides maybe we should crash, it's getting late and we all have stuff to do tomorrow. Reyes may not be an ass to me, but if I show up hungover she'll be pissed." I said as I pulled away from Lara, regretfully, and went and sat down on the bed with Sam. I ended up missing Lara's slight frown when I walked away since I had my back turned, but Sam didn't. Lara headed for the bathroom and when she was out of sight Sam gave me a knowing look. I shook my head and flopped back onto Lara's bed and stared at the ceiling. If only I had known that Lara was starting to like me back then, maybe I'd have taken a chance sooner.


End file.
